I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve notice recently that the customer has gone from always being right, to being the unwanted. At one time they would even entertain you until they got your money, but these days it seems like that don’t even want to put the effort into selling. Maybe assuming someone else will come and not ask some many questions before buying.

A couple weeks ago, I though I might actually upgrade my net connection. Maybe get the new “Ultra High Speed” package. So, after calling my ISP (the local telco Aliant) around 7:30pm, and getting a recording, I though I would inquire at there store in the mall.

When I got there the first thing I asked was if they could tell me the details of my current package. “I’m sorry, we can tell you that, we’re not an Aliant store,” the man told me. I found this to be a remarkable answer. The only signs visible in the entire store said “Aliant.” I decide to let it go though and pressed on. When I asked if he could tell me the details of there current offering, his answer was again useless: “You can find all the information online.”

At this point I was ready to leave. So with a terse , “k,” I left the store and went to see a movie. What annoys me though, is for him it was mission accomplished. I was another person to be served by the web so he won’t have to. At that point I decided, if I couldn’t talk to someone about what I wanted, I could do without. I only wish he and all the other “service” people out there could see the lost sale so that maybe the customer could be “right” again.